BIG JAPANESE SHIP

Wairarapa Times-Age, 29 September 1942, Page 3

BIG JAPANESE SHIP

BOMBED & SET ON FIRE AT RABAUL EPISODE IN CONTINUING RAIDS. NO CHANGE IN NEW GUINEA SITUATION. (Special Australian Correspondent.) SYDNEY, September 28. Allied heavy bombers scored a direct hit and a near miss on a 15,000-ton Japanese merchant ship in Rabanl Harbour. When last seen the vessel was on fire. It was the largest reported hit in a series of five raids in six days on Rabaul.

The Flying Fortresses which made the attack shortly after dawn dropped bombs from a medium altitude on the largest ship in port. There has been no change in the New Guinea land situation. On the Owen Stanley front, Allied aircraft again bombed and machine-gunned supply lines. In the Buna-Kokoda area, supply installations, barges, camps, and storage buildings were attacked and fires started. Allied medium bombers made a night raid on an airfield at Bui n, on the southern end of Bougainville Island.

The American correspondent, Mr Robert Miller, says American flyers, operating from Kukum airfield, Guadalcanal to September 16, have shot down 127 Japanese planes, sunk two ships, damaged five, sunk 16 launches, and damaged vital ground installations. In four weeks, 10 United States flyers destroyed 82 enemy planes. The American losses were 19 planes and 16 men missing. The sole Japanese offensive during the past 24 hours has been another ineffectual night raid on Darwin. Two or three planes dropped bombs harmlessly in the scrub. However, though actual Japanese air activities remain small, Tokio radio continues to broadcast fantastic claims of devastating attacks. Allied troops at Port Moresby have been intrigued by Tokio’s claim that Port Moresby’s non-exist-ent tram service has been bombed out of action.

Japanese planes made three raids on the Port Moresby area during the past week, but caused no damage or casualties. There is no sign that the Japanese are yet prepared to challenge Allied air supremacy. The supply route in the BunaKokoda area has been bombed daily since September 15, but only two attempts have been made at interception by enemy fighters.